Casey Prather (has scored at least 10 points in every game this season)

Sr.

6-6

212

F

Will Yeguete (21 rebounds and eight shot attempts in last three games)

Sr.

6-8

230

C

Patric Young (15 points and six rebounds in each of last two games)

Sr.

6-9

240

Utilize size1

Florida has a consistent and veteran inside presence that South Carolina doesn't have much of an answer for. The Gators need to establish that presence early by working the ball in to Patric Young and giving Casey Prather and Dorian Finney-Smith the green light to drive the lane. The Gamecocks are inexperienced at best and vulnerable at worst in the paint.

Derail South Carolina mentally2

With only one player who is not a freshman or sophomore in their starting lineup, the Gamecocks are playing their first road game since Dec. 6. The Gators' defense has been capable of forcing long scoreless stretches out of opponents, knocking initial game plans out of whack and burying younger players beneath O'Dome crowd noise. South Carolina is a perfect candidate to get caught up in such a moment.

Remain focused1

After a surprising close call against Richmond Saturday, Donovan and his players admitted focus and intensity was simply not there for the Gators. Tonight marks the start of the SEC play and Florida's effort to repeat as regular-season conference champions. In other words, there is no excuse for a veteran UF team to not be up for this game as well as the 17 regular season tilts that follow it.

"They have a lot of new faces, a lot of new personnel. I think they have some very good young players that, like anything else, when you're playing a lot of freshmen and younger guys, there are going to be some growing pains and some ups and downs. That's going to be a part of their development and growth. I think the team that people remember from South Carolina last year is totally different than this year's team and the number one difference is maybe not style of play but it's their personnel."

"We're just taking it game by game. We don't really look at things like that. We're just trying to focus on the next play, the next team, the next possession. We don't try to get too far ahead of ourselves, but obviously that's a great accomplishment."

Florida 72-45: South Carolina shouldn't be much of a challenge for Florida during a season in which it has dropped games to teams like Manhattan and South Carolina Upstate. Frank Martin has worked to turn the Gamecocks around, but he fighting a serious uphill battle that has been further damaged by attrition and a lack of a consistent identity.